Title: Patent Picks—Colored Bubbles, Straightening, Suspended Air and More in Hair Care

Chosen biweekly by Rachel Grabenhofer, editor of Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine, for their relevance to personal care, Patent Picks are taken from publicly available sources. This edition features patents related to hair cleansing, conditioning and styling, among others.

The present patent discloses an ordered liquid crystalline phase cleansing composition is disclosed that is mild to the skin, contains entrained air and is characterized by excellent sensory and skin feel properties, flow properties and stability. The invention relates to detergent compositions suitable for topical application for cleansing the human body, such as the skin and hair. In particular, it relates to ordered liquid crystalline phase compositions containing suspended air and naturally derived thickeners.

The cleansing composition disclosed comprises: a) at least 1% w/w of a non-soap anionic surfactant; b) at least 0.1% w/w of an amphoteric surfactant; c) an effective amount of an ordered liquid crystalline phase inducing structurant for inducing liquid crystal structure formation in said cleansing composition, wherein the density of said cleansing composition is in the range of about 0.5 to 1.2 gms/cm3 at 25ºC; d) a water soluble or dispersible thickening agent selected from proteins, mono, di, oligo and polysaccharides; cellulosic materials, gums, clays, or blends or derivatives thereof and having a yield point in the range of about 3 to 100 Pascals at 25ºC, wherein the volume percent of air suspended in the composition is about 10 to 60%, and wherein the composition is stable at 50ºC for 14 days without noticeable phase separation or a decrease in viscosity of more than about 20% or both.

Cosmetic compositions comprising at least one carboxylic anionic surfactant and at least one vinylamide/vinylamine copolymer, and processes of use thereofUS Patent 7919106
Publication date: April 5, 2011
Assignee: L'Oreal S.A.

This invention describes cosmetic compositions containing at least one carboxylic anionic surfactant and at least one vinylformamide/vinylformamine copolymer. According to the patent, in rinse-out hair compositions, such as shampoos or hair conditioners, water-soluble synthetic cationic polymers, which have been known to give hair good cosmeticity, are often used; however, these polymers provide no hair shaping effect. This is likewise the case for cationic, nature-derived polymers such as modified guar gums, which may also provide a cosmetic nature without allowing hair shaping. In the field of rinse-out compositions, polymers may not provide sufficient hair styling associated with an acceptable cosmeticity. Thus, one aspect of the present disclosure is to incorporate polymers that are capable of providing a real styling effects while at the same time maintaining acceptable cosmeticity.

This patent illustrates a cleansing or surface-conditioning composition comprising a mixture of A) and B) in water, wherein A) is a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, non-ionic, zwitterionic, cationic, and mixtures thereof, and B) is a hydrophobic benefit agent in a particulate form having a mean particle size in the range of 1–1,000 microns, and a specific gravity of ≧1, not encapsulated within a film or a capsule-like enclosure. The particulate hydrophobic benefit agent comprises: a) a physically-modified form of the hydrophobic benefit agent, and b) a deposition-aid material bonded to the surface of the physically-modified benefit agent material, wherein the bonding between the two said materials is achieved prior to addition to A), and wherein said deposition-aid material is not a surfactant having a weight average molecular weight of less than 5,000 Dalton.

Unexpectedly, the inventors have found that the compositions disclosed show an extraordinarily high level of performance properties, namely hair-conditioning, fabric softening, and skin moisturizing, which is reportedly attributed to the specific additive form in which the benefit agents are incorporated into these compositions, and in particular to the composition of this additive-form.

Disclosed in this patent is a method for improving the foaming properties of cleansing and/or foaming formulations, compositions, methods for preparing them, and preparation of the topical formulations containing them. Topical in this case refers to application to the skin, the hair, the scalp or mucous membranes. The method disclosed includes using an effective amount of a polyol glycoside or of a mixture of polyol glycosides. The compositions can be used in the cosmetic, dermopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical fields.

This invention relates to products that comprise micro-encapsulated benefit agents for washing and cleansing and/or the care and protection of animate or inanimate surfaces. The invention also relates to polyurethane and polyurea microcapsules. The described invention is well-suited for use in rinse off products. Especially preferred products that use the cationic coated polymer encapsulated fragrance of the present invention include hair and pet shampoos, hair conditioners, laundry detergents, fabric conditioners and the like. The fragrance capsules prepared from the present invention can also be used without additional coating.

Described in this patent are compositions for topical application to keratinous tissues or substrates such as skin, hair or scalp, or mucosal surfaces to treat a condition or disease. The composition comprises at least one polypeptide and/or lipidated peptide and a carrier. Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to an isolated peptide or mixture of peptides having a lipidated cysteine residue, wherein the lipid is a polyisoprenoid, and a composition comprising the peptide or mixture thereof and a carrier suitable for topical administration.

The present invention relates to the use of organomodified siloxane block copolymers as care active ingredient for the care of human or animal body parts. Advantages of the use, according to the invention, are that the siloxanes, being high-performance care active ingredients, bring about a marked conditioning effect for skin and hair and can be used in aqueous, surface-active formulations, in particular in liquid body cleansing compositions such as, for example, shower baths and hair shampoos, without giving rise to a significant lowering of the viscosity of the aqueous, surface-active formulation.

This patent describes compositions and methods for producing colored bubbles having a single color uniformly dispersed in the film. The composition comprises at least one surfactant mixed with at least one colorant, the colorant forming at least approximately 10% of the composition. The surfactant forms the bubble while the colorant, or pigment, provides the color. Generally, the composition may comprise 10-99% colorant to produce varying degrees of opacity. In addition, glycerin, fragrance, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, potassium hydroxide, or other additives may be included. The present invention can also be used in fields such as toys, toothpaste, bath bubbles, shampoo, soaps, creams, lotions, diapers, lenses, paint, inks, adhesives, displays, semiconductors, biomedical, photonics, face masks, hair colors, plastics, and textiles.

This patent describes a method for chemically modifying the internal region of a hair shaft, comprising the steps of: providing and applying to hair a treatment composition comprising from 0.1% to 20% of an ethylenic monomer by weight of the total composition, an initiator and a dermatologically acceptable carrier; and exposing the hair to a relative humidity (RH) of at least 70% within 1 hr of applying the treatment composition for 10 to 90 min. Said method reportedly provides improved performance, efficacy and/or efficiency. Indeed, the application of high RH has numerous benefits with regard to this technology. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that exposing the hair to high RH during the chemical modification of the internal region of a hair shaft improves the diffusion of the monomers through the hair and/or increases the penetration of the monomers into the hair shaft. More specifically, it is believed that components of the treatment compositions are maintained in solution for longer and are more mobile. Furthermore, high RH is thought to result in a swollen hair shaft and a more open cuticle.

According to the inventors, the resultant benefit of the invention is the provision of a base for highly effective, durable and optimized hair styling. In particular, benefits may include improved style-ability, enhanced shape retention, increased volume and thickness, longer lasting hold, environmental humidity resistance, increased shine, reduced frizz, dye wash fastness and style type flexibility (interchangeable between, e.g., curled or straightened hair). Furthermore, the internal structure of the hair shaft is improved and this improvement is retained for longer. The benefits of improved internal structure include greater hair shaft rigidity and strength. Moreover, the surface structure of the hair may benefit; specifically, the cuticles may form a more regular pattern, which results in increased hair shine.